The next rye review we’re going to dig into is the Angel’s Envy Rye. This is sourced from MGP and finished in Caribbean Rum casks for up to 18 months. Like the Angel’s Envy Bourbon Whiskey, this was a product of Lincoln Henderson and his son and their vision for a new direction to take American Whiskey.
Not to be too big of a spoiler, but I like this a bit more than the “bourbon”. I think the rye and rum casks work better and are a tad less sweet than the bourbon and port combo. If you’ve followed this blog for a while you know I don’t have a sweet tooth so always take that in stride when I’m reviewing something super sweet like these.
Angel’s Envy Rye Review: Details and Tasting Notes
“Angel’s Envy spends up to 18 months finishing in Caribbean rum casks, resulting in an immensely complex whiskey. The mingling of raw, spicy and earthy rye with the mellow sweetness of rum finishing creates an incomparably smooth and drinkable whiskey, even at 100 proof.”
Details (price, mash bill, cask type, ABV, etc.)
Region: Kentucky, USA
Distiller: Undisclosed (MGP)
Mash Bill: 95% Rye, 5% Malted Barley
Cask: New Charred Oak, ex-Caribbean Rum
Age: NAS (4+ years)
ABV: 50%
Price: $100*
Tasting Notes
EYE
Ruddy amber
NOSE
Rum spice, candy corn, dark fruit candy, butterscotch, fruit oil, grain, nutmeg and oak.
PALATE
Brown sugar, nutmeg, grain, candy corn, butterscotch, vanilla custard and bits of oak and menthol.
FINISH
Medium -> Very sweet butterscotch and nutmeg, almost egg nog-like in delivery with some oak.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Not balanced, thick syrupy body and feel.
Angel’s Envy Rye Review: Overall and Score
Aroma has a heavy baking spice – nutmeg dominant – quality to it, that sits nicely with the dessert and fruity sweet notes; Palate though is so so sweet, just one heavy sweet note after another that pummels through building and escalating to just shy of the tipping point; Finish borders on cloying, but pulls up just short with some dash of oak to keep it in line.
Maple arrives as the Angel’s Envy Rye opens and I’m getting it across the board. Odd how significant that note becomes as this whiskey opens and changes. It starts out with big layers of sweets, straight-up dessert whiskey level, and then it kind of mellows out before it comes right back with another, bolder, wave of sweets.
SCORE: 2.5/5
*Disclosure: The sample for this rye whiskey review was graciously sent to me by the company without obligation. The views, opinions, and tasting notes are 100% my own.
Angel's Envy Rye Review $100
Angel's Envy Rye Review Summary
A sweet and spicy rye whiskey that hangs a bit too heavy on the sweet side for my tastes; would be great for someone with a sweet tooth!
Overall
- Nose
- Palate
- Finish
- BBF
User Review
( votes)( reviews)
Amazing autumn dessert whiskey
Unique stuff. Fantastic as a dessert whiskey, bursting with maple, fall spices, and sweet baked goods.
Glad you like it Nate. Cheers!
Straight Rye or flavored
Hello, You your reviews and this site is a goto for me before purchase. I enjoy this one a couple of times and year but not a favorite when going for a typical rye. I find it so sweet and flavored that I wonder if its straight or has some added flavor… they’re very pronounced.
Thank you David, I appreciate that. To answer your question, it starts out as a Straight Rye and then it gets finished in a Rum cask. The additional flavoring comes from the rum casks. It’s not considered “flavoring” in the traditional sense of an added flavor syrup like what Templeton does. But because the straight rye gets finished in a user barrel (ex-Rum) it can no longer be called a “Straight Rye”. Hope that makes sense.
Where is the residual sugar coming from with this being cloying?
The price must have gone down since the article was written as it’s currently $74.99. That seems fair for 6 year MGP finished rye.
Very subjective review, I guess that’s great for people wirh similar tastes but seems odd for a reviewer tho.
The sweetness would be from the cask. All reviews are subjective to the reviewer’s taste and that’s the same with everything, including whiskey competitions. It’s all based on who is tasting it. Or watching it (movies) or reading it (books), etc. There are some universal truths (how it was made, if the plot makes sense, etc.) but the end result of a review (score) is always subjective to the reviewer’s feelings about the thing being reviewed.
Thinking of trying this Rye. How would you compare this Rye to Basil Hayden dark rye?
This is lighter and more balanced than the Basil Hayden dark rye, which I didn’t care for. Cheers Terry.
Angels Envy Rye is a beautifully balanced whisky at a great price. And much better than the bourbon.
What’s clear from the comments is that the AE Rye is not for typical rye drinkers, For those of us who usually prefer bourbon, this sweeter, non-turpentine finish is SO much better than most rye offerings, and to call it unbalanced is, well, just unbalanced. Hands down one of the best deals in whiskey.
I thought it was overly done, overly sweet, and couldn’t find the balance, but glad you enjoy it. Cheers Lance!
Enjoy It
IMO the goal should be to find to the best tasting sipping whiskey for the lowest price. After all, why pay more for something that is as good or not as good as something else? But I drink only on special occasions or when I am in the mood; therefore, I am not going to spend years or dollars chasing what various people claim is the supposed “greatest rye ever made.” I feel in love with this Rye a year ago and enjoyed it immensely, but I could never find it on the shelves (even in a large metropolitan city). I recently found some, bought another bottle (at the high price) and discovered I love it even more today than a year ago. But that is just me.
Loved reading this, thanks for sharing your thoughts Joshua. Cheers!
Great on pancakes
Even if crack had been smoked prior to tasting it surely would have biased the review in a positive manner. Everyone knows crack makes everything better.
Cheers
Ha! Cheers :)
You guys must have smoked some crack or something before drinking this, because this is one of the best whiskies around at any price. Unlike the bourbon which is smooth but totally uninteresting, the rye has so much character and balance without the stupidly spicy and kerosene like overtones of other ryes. This is one of the best deals in whisky there is.
Let’s see I reviewed this on a Wednesday, but I only smoke crack on the weekends so nope, none while sipping on this. Just difference in taste. It’s overly sweet and uninteresting and is missing all that awesomely spicy character that makes rye so dynamic. To each their own.
Sorry I didn’t list my rating on the above review.
Hey Josh, I’m a big fan of your reviews and always enjoy your perspective on whiskey as I believe you are a true lover of whiskey as am I. That being said I have to disagree on this one (still dig you thought man). Yes if you are a purist rye whiskey fan this is not going to cut it. As a fan of American whiskey, scotch, and Rum I can say this is a truly interesting and tasty dram. The sweetness of the rum, the spice backdrop of the rye…. man I like it quite a bit. But obviously I like some sweeter whiskeys too. Obviously it’s not for everyone, but i very much understand why it is so popular. As always I’ll look forward to your next review. Take it easy and enjoy a nice whiskey tonight.
Well thank you, I really appreciate that and also thank you for respectfully disagreeing. I love reading other people’s thoughts even if we don’t see eye to eye on a whiskey. I’m glad you like it and I have some friends who also really dig it, but for me it just hits sweet notes that I don’t fully enjoy. But that’s why it’s all subjective and there’s such variety – different palates. If we all liked the same thing there would only be one whiskey on the market :D
Thanks for sharing Beeve, cheers!
typo
*should NOT
Just Awful
This was perhaps the worst Rye Whiskey I’ve ever tasted. It should even be labeled as a ‘Rye”. This was a maple sugar bomb with an indiscernible whisky flavor This is the obviously the result of Bacardi buying Angel’s Envy. Bacardi has destroyed the reputation of this whisky brand, it’s a shame.
Thanks for sharing A Speer. Cheers!
My friend got some of this when he was on a Rye kick recently. It was okay…I got a strong dill note on the nose and it was off-putting to me. All in all it is for sure meh. The thing that gets me though is the $100 price tag. What the heck????? This has got to be one of the worst deals in rye whiskey out there. I can get both a Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel Rye and a Pikesville for only a little more than a hundred and both are a significant improvement flavor-wise. This is not even close to worth $100 in my opinion.
I agree on the price, I’m flabbergasted by it and would do the exact same as you with the same $$. Cheers Josh!
In your second sentence at the top – “This is sourced from MGP and finished in Caribbean Rye casks for up to 18 months” – I think you mean Rum casks, not rye.
Ha, you are 100% correct and I’ve changed the typo. Thanks!